Title: Medical Emergence in Personal Care

Mentor Corp., a leading international supplier of medical products, has signed a distribution agreement with Niadyne Inc., a privately-owned company focused on the discovery and development of topical products, to distribute Niadyne's NIA 24 line of science-based cosmeceutical products for the skin. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Joshua H. Levine, president and chief executive officer of Mentor Corp., said in a press statement, "We believe that these cosmeceutical products will complement our future dermal filler and botulinum toxin products and are pleased to partner with Niadyne as we continue to expand our range of science-based, aesthetic-medicine products."

The U.S. market for cosmeceutical products is estimated to reach approximately US$5 billion in 2007, according to reports by the Freedonia Group. The NIA 24 Niacin-Powered Skin Therapy product is based on Pro-Niacin, a proprietary niacin derivative that reportedly allows niacin to be delivered to skin at optimal rates allowing conversion to its active form, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or NAD. Published research claims that NAD helps protect against the damage caused to the skin by sun exposure, aging and other environmental factors.